William D. Atchison

William David Atchison, M.D., of Destin, FL, passed away Friday, January 29, 2016, in Destin.
Dr. Atchison was born September 8, 1926, in Birmingham, AL. He was a graduate of the University of Alabama and received his medical degree from the Medical College of Alabama in Birmingham in 1952. He performed his Residency in Pathology at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. He also received medical training at the University of North Carolina and the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS.
From 1963 to 1993, Dr. Atchison was Chief Pathologist at Gulfport Memorial Hospital, as well as Garden Park Community Hospital in Gulfport, MS, where he resided from 1963 to 2000. He was Fellow of the College of American Pathologists and member of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists, the International Academy of Pathologists, the Mississippi State Medical Association, the American Medical Association, and the Southern Medical Association. He was Cofounder of the Medical Technology Program in the Department of Science and Technology at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Dr. Atchison was Elder and member of the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Gulfport and member of the First Presbyterian Church, Destin. He is a veteran of the United States Navy and served during World War II. He was a member of Kappa Alpha Order at the University of Alabama and the Nu Sigma Nu Medical Fraternity. He was past member of the Gulfport Yacht Club and the Royal Commonwealth Society.
He was preceded in death by his father, William Edward Atchison; mother, Callie Daniels Atchison; brothers, Oliver, Warren, Robert and Roy; and son, J.D. Roy Atchison.
He is survived by his wife, Reba Alford Atchison; children, Robert, William, and Reba Elizabeth; sister, Esther Stuart; and grandchildren, Samuel, Allison, Christie, Alex and Aaron.
A memorial service will be held at the First Presbyterian Church in Destin at 1 PM of Monday, February 15. There will be a visitation at RIEMANN FAMILY FUNERAL HOME, 11280 Three Rivers Road, Gulfport, MS from 12:30 to 2 PM, Tuesday, February 16. Graveside services will be held at Biloxi National Cemetery, 400 Veterans Ave., Biloxi, MS, at 2:30 PM.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations are to be made to the Wounded Warrior Project or the First Presbyterian Church, Destin, FL.